nilorius Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 For bass players - who preffer to sing back vocals ? Do You feel that it relly helps the band ? Do You like it or just do it for a must ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Def helps the band imo, but then that`s me coming from a punk background where football-terrace backing vox were the thing. If doing covers I generally go with were there any on the recording or does the lead singer need help on a chorus, be it to lift the song further or did the original have the lead singer doing a harmony as well as the main line. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 I do B/V’s in my band, and have done in all of the bands / deps I’ve done over the last 50 years. I’m a competent but not brilliant bassist, and being able to sing harmony lines has got me many gigs over better players who couldn’t sing. My voice is quite ‘neutral’ and characterless, which makes blending with other (better!) voices much easier. I also have a good ear, and can sing harmonies after a couple of listens. I’m actually of the belief that if you can play any instrument to a reasonable standard then you can sing as well - understand if you don’t like doing so of course, but it’s always a bonus if you can. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Edwards69 Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 If you can sing in time and in tune it absolutely helps the band sound better. If everyone in the band can sing, then better still. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddo Soqable Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Can't sing for toffees, hence wouldn't even go there. Great respect to you guys who can and do👍.. particularly against a bass line that's anything more than a simple chug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 In the Brave New World of the newer project with which I'm involved, there's a capacity for live autotune on the vocals: we're not going to use it for either of the main vocalists, who don't need it, but it opens up the possibility of me singing backing vocals (mixed low, obv...)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 I do some backing shouting. With our particular style of punk / metal crossover I don't need to be able to hold perfect pitch or make the lyrics understandable. I just have to get the timing and general attitude right. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 I enjoy giving the old tonsils an occasional run out, but only do it if it's needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbiscuits Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 If I'm adding backing vocals it's generally because they are needed. If the aren't needed, I won't do them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Some songs can be absolutely made by backing vocals, and in most situations, assuming that people can sing, it is generally a bonus. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franticsmurf Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 It does tend to look good if the band are singing backing vocals, even if the actual BVs are just following the main singer. I'm not the greatest singer and in my three piece I sing lead on three straight forward songs mainly to give the singer/guitarist a break. But I try to contribute BVs to the songs that benefit from it. For those I tend to sing the straight vocal and the singer takes the harmony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 I got coerced into BVs during my tenure in a metal band, and really enjoy doing them now. I’ve known from a young age that Pavarotti was never going to lose any sleep over my vocal ‘abilities’, but well placed harmonies can often mean the difference between a good live band and a great live band. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 2 hours ago, SteveXFR said: I do some backing shouting. With our particular style of punk / metal crossover I don't need to be able to hold perfect pitch or make the lyrics understandable. I just have to get the timing and general attitude right. It’s surprising how well the ‘shouting at approximate pitch’ approach works! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 14 minutes ago, paul_5 said: It’s surprising how well the ‘shouting at approximate pitch’ approach works! Well, velociraptors were good in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Yes, yes and yes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 In our acdc tribute band, it`s kind of expected that Cliff and Mal did the backing vocals so we do them but we are both murder at it to be honest. But I have heard live radio shows from the late 70`s and the guys were equally as bad so we just carry on regardless. I thought about going for lessons but up here they charge £30 for 30 mins! Or else they want you to book a block of 10 or similar so we have put it on the back burner but it`s something I would like to be able to do well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 (edited) Yeah I love doing bv's. Like a few earlier posters, my voice is quite bland but I can sing in tune and do some harmonies where needed. It makes such a big difference to the band to have a couple of other members who can sing other than just the singer. Edited June 12, 2023 by mrtcat 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Lead and BV here. I like singing a lot. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 50 minutes ago, fretmeister said: Lead and BV here. I like singing a lot. Me too. Who care what the crowd think But it cant be that bad, I always do the encores and they always turn out fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozkerr Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 I do some - the grunts on Back On The Chain Gang, the outro 'la la la la lalalala' on Don't You Forget About Me, the chorus of Teenage Kicks, 'hey man' on Suffragette City, 'too high, too far, too soon / you saw the whole of the moon' - but that's about it. It does beef up the sound for definite - more than I thought it would when I started. During lockdown, I took lessons on Skype on singing while playing bass and followed that up with vocal coaching when I realised my singing voice had gone to pot. My main band has two great vocalists, so I'm keeping the BVs to a minimum, but I am toying with putting together a punk band doing 1970s covers where I sing and play bass. I've been told by more than one person that I have a death stare that would intimidate Lemmy... it would be fun to put that to good use! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDaveTheBass Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 A bit of backing shouting goes a long way in my covers band. My speciality is Sex Pistols harmonies. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 I would never describe my voice as good, but I can hit a few harmonies with a bit of practice and take the lead vocals in a handful of songs. Anyone can sing - yes, really. It's quite a sense of achievement when you can keep a bass line flowing in time and sing slightly off the beat though. I'm actually enjoying my singing a lot more since giving up smoking a couple of years ago 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMoon Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 I sing bv’s, enjoy it, and get satisfaction when I can hear myself consistently to stay on pitch in multi-part harmony arrangements. I find in-ears a great help for this. In general, I find the average jo-public to be more aware of the vocal quality of a band than the sound of the instruments. Bass……..what’s that? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 Good BVs and harmonies are what sets a lot of bands apart. Once I was given the confidence and guidance about singing, I enjoyed it more and more. However, some songs were beyond me due to the syncopation of the bass line against the vocals, in these instances I stuck to my principal job. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 I sing lead and do BV when playing with other singers I'm depping with a great band and the drummer does all the obvious harmonies, so I look for different ones. We ended up with 4 part harmonies on I fought the Law, on Friday night. (guitarist sings to). Sounded quite good 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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